Races & Places with azsungoddessRunning & Racing around the country

"Disclaimer: I received a variety pack of NuGo Dark to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"I am a self-professed snack-a-holic. At a minimum I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. I’m always thinking about my next meal. But, I struggle with finding something “healthy” that also satisfies. I was excited to try these NuGo Dark chocolate protein bars.

I received the following:

3 dark chocolate pretzel with sea salt

3 dark chocolate chip

3 dark chocolate coconut almond

3 dark chocolate mint chip

My box arrived just before Christmas, which was the perfect timing to get my attention away from holiday cookies and other treats with not nutritional value. These are all vegan and gluten free, by the way.

I am currently counting macros, so protein really counts in my book. Most other protein bars I have tried are chalky, too dense, or just plain tastes like crap. The cool thing about NuGo is that every bar is dipped in REAL 100% dark chocolate. The inside is crispy, think chocolate covered rice krispy treat with protein and delicious sweetness! Dark chocolate has antioxidants and flavanoids which are good for us - so to me it's a win-win. NuGo promotes that they use "Real" chocolate - as it turns out many companies advertise chocolate but if you read their ingredient list they use palm kernel oil instead of cocoa butter. You can read more about this deceptive practice here.

The first one I dug into was chocolate pretzel with sea salt because I have always loved the combination of chocolate and pretzel and knew that this one was going to be a winner. Ridiculously good! It does have 15 grams of sugar (why it tastes so good!) .

Nutritional facts – 200 calories, 28 g carbs, 5 g fat, 10 g protein

Next was the chocolate coconut. I also love this combo, and have found it in a competitor version that I really like. The result? Also amazing! I’m kind of picky when it comes to protein bars and I’m usually disappointed. This was heavenly. These grab and go bars were perfect for my mid-afternoon cravings.Nutritional facts – 200 calories, 27 g carbs, 6 g fat, 10 g protein

I knew chocolate chip would be a pretty safe choice. Tastes just like a candy bar. Note to those who don’t think they like dark chocolate because it can be “bitter” – these don’t have that dark chocolate bitter taste at all. If you didn’t tell me it was dark chocolate and good for me, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell. Dark is my favorite. I enjoyed this one before spin class.

Nutritional facts – 200 calories, 5 g fat, 29 g carbs, 10 g protein

I saved mint chocolate chip for last because honestly mint isn’t my favorite and I was worried that I wouldn’t like it. Well I am happy to report that I was wrong! The mint is not strong or overpowering. The whole inside is dark, but it really is delicious. It is like a girl scout thin mint without the guilt!Nutritional facts – 200 calories, 5 g fat, 29 g carbs, 10 g protein

There are some other NuGo dark flavors out there that I want to try – there are also:

Peanut Butter cup – you had me at peanut butter!Mocha – um, coffee – yes please!Spicy Chocolate – I am intrigued by this one as well.

Where can you buy these? I’m glad you asked. I found them at my nearby Sprouts store, but they are in grocery stores and convenience stores everywhere, check out the store locator.

Overall, I’m in love. I will say that since I’m counting calories and macros that I only eat half a bar at a time. NuGo also makes a line called NuGo Slim – with less sugar, less carbs, higher protein for roughly the same amount of calories. I plan on trying this, too, because this fits better into my daily macro goals. I’m still in full damage control mode from the holidays!Want to try for yourself? Right now you can save 15% on NuGo Dark with code BIBRAVE1!!!

"Disclaimer: I received a set of Knuckle Lights to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"

I admit it; I am not a fan of running in the dark. But there are often times in the summer & winter here in AZ when that’s your only option. I was thrilled at the chance to try Knuckle Lights.

Normally if I am doing a run in the dark for any prolonged period of time, I wear a headlamp. I don’t love it, though. It slips a bit, especially once it gets sweaty, and sometimes the bouncing light bothers me. Knuckle Lights offer a convenient handheld option that are just as bright, if not more so, than some headlamps.

I was immediately struck at how bright they were. In fact, I just about blinded myself when I first turned them on. (warning: don’t be looking directly at them when you turn them on!!!). I couldn’t wait to try these out. These arrived just before Christmas, so it was time to head out for a “Christmas light run”, one of my favorite things to do this time of year. Obviously, it wasn’t pitch black out, but I certainly appreciated the extra light these provided, as well as an opportunity to make sure I am seen more easily to others!

The lights come with a charger, it didn’t take very long for them to be up to full power. They are designed to last 4 hours on high beams, and 8 hours on low. I am most excited about using these during Ragnar. I have 2 Ragnar Relays coming up in March. During my last Ragnar, I was on a deserted stretch of road virtually by myself late at night. Pitch dark. My headlamp could only do so much. If it wasn’t for the occasional passing van with headlights I think I would have gone crazy. These would have come in SO handy!

Another cool feature is that when you are storing them not in use, they have magnetized sides so that you can store them together as a pair and don’t have to worry about losing them.

I was also impressed with the width of area that it illuminates. It really light up a large section. The LED pattern is a “WIDE FLOOD BEAM”, so it puts out light in all directions, providing a steady, even light in front of you that does not bounce around, even with your arms moving Each unit is 140 Lumens on high power, so you get a super bright 280 Lumens combined, vs my headlamp that only puts out 160 lumens. I did struggle a bit with the adjustable strap that fits around your hand. I made them a little smaller, and the placeholder kept slipping out of its belt loop and coming open.

Summary:Pros –

Bright! 280 Lumens

Rechargeable

Handheld, ergonomic fit

3 settings – high, low and flashing

Lightweight at just 3 oz each

Waterproof!

Cons –

Adjustable strap doesn’t always stay put

Rechargeable Knuckle Lights retail for $59.99. But you can save 10% on your order with code “bibravepro”! I think these are well worth the money if you do a lot of running in the dark. I know I feel safer with them.